Equipment for concrete building construction



May 14, 1963 D. FlLIPPl 3,089,217

EQUIPMENT F OR CONCRETE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 10, 1960 5Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 0' FL' [i C BY mo O Lrh chxl ATTORNEBS y 1963D. FlLlPPl 3,089,217

EQUIPMENT FOR CONCRETE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 10, 1960 5Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Dino F1. [i 1.

GkJWJA Z w ATTOG-N E55 May 14, 1963 D. FlLlPPl 7 EQUIPMENT FOR CONCRETEBUILDING CONSTRUCTION Eiled March 10, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3,

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INVENTOR. Dino FLU D 3L MM y ATTof NEss EQUIPMENT FOR CONCRETE BUILDINGCONSTRUCTION Filed March 10, 1960 D. FlLIPPl May 14, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet4 INVENTOR DINO F lLl PPI ww gw ATTORNEYS D. FlLlPPl 3,089,217

EQUIPMENT FOR CONCRETE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION May 14, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet5 Filed March 10, 1960 \J, r .y/

\I -m u r L f t\\ f I 1 1 I v r I I r A A 1. I L. w a l Ha s-LC: 1 .M a4 a I v O INVENTOR DINO FILIPPI F GIlOb ATTORNEYS United States PatentOffice 3,089,217 Patented May 14, 1963 3,089,217 EQUIPMENT FOR CONCRETEBUILDING CONSTRUCTION Dino Filippi, Via Appia Nuova 484, Rome, ItalyFiled Mar. 10, 1960, Ser. No. 14,059 Claims priority, application ItalyMar. 25, 1959 Claims. (Cl. 25-131) The present invention is concernedwith equipment for the construction of buildings in concrete or similarmaterial, using metal forms which make it possible to dispense with theuse of lumber scaffolding, leave the surfaces perfectly smooth andrequiring no plastering. These forms can be assembled and taken apartwith great ease for an unlimited number of times and can be arranged toleave window and door openings and recesses for storage spaces, windowblinds, radiators, etc. and to leave vertical and horizontal ducts toaccommodate water and gas pipe, electrio and telephone cables, heatingand cooling pipes, etc.

Moreover, when pouring the walls, it is possible to incorporate tiles ofbrick, ceramic, glass or similar materials, as well as decorative mosaictesserae of any type and shape.

The invention is based on the use of three difierent types of forms, andnamely: a flat form for outside walls, floors, main, walls and partitionwalls; a core box to form cavities and recesses within poured concretemasses; a type of collapsible ceiling form.

For the erection of the forms, support and centering elements areprovided. The former consists of a framework of metal elements,preferably tubular, which rise vertically from the floor and intersectat regular intervals horizontal elements arranged both parallel andperpendicular to outside walls. The purpose of this framework is tosupport the form on which the floor above is to be poured, and to thisend the vertical elements are adjustable in height by means of screwjacks. The purpose of the horizontal framework elements is to withstandstresses and to maintain the wall forms in vertical position.

A loading crane traveling on rails across the width of the building issupported by the uppermost structure of the latter and is fitted overits length with a slightly sloping rail over which travels the carriagecontaining the concrete or similar construction material, such materialbeing fed into the carriage by means of a hopper positioned above thecarriage by means of a power-driven hoist, crane boom, pulley and cablearrangement. The above equipment is completed by means and organs forfastening and centering its components.

Other characteristics of the invention will be evident 5 constructionwith the form assembled but without the supfrom the followingdescription, with reference to the enclosed drawings which portray, as anon-limiting example, one preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a wall form element;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the same, taken along plane II-II ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 represents a detail of the joining of two superimposed elementsof a wall fonn;

FIG. 4 is a partially cross-sectional plan view of a core box; 7

FIG. 5 shows the means employed for the spacing of the two wall forms;

FIG. 6 shows the device for centering a core box be tween two wallforms;

porting framework;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a core-box extractor;

FIG. 10 is a general perspective view of a ceiling under construction,resting upon the top of an outside wall;

FIG. 10a is an end view in section showing the arrangement of the wallforms and their manner of being supported on the pipe framework;

FIG. 10b is a fragmentary perspective view, in enlarged scale, of aceiling under construction showing the arrangement and connections ofthe various forms;

FIG. ll is a detail of the means of attaching a horizontal frameworkpipe to support in position :a wall form;

FIG. 12 is a transversal view of a collapsible ceiling for-m;

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal view of the same;

FIG. 14 is a cross-section view of the floor with the form ready to beextracted, after the pouring and setting of the beams and chambers;

FIG. 15 shows the collapsible prop which supports the overlapping edgesof the form walls shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 16 shows in plan the path of the cable used to collapse and extractthe floor form;

FIG. :17 is a detail view of the turnbutton device which, by releasingthe flat floor form, disengages it from the U irons which-had retainedit in place during the pouring and setting of the concrete;

FIG. 18 is a general view of the loading crane structure;

FIG. 19 is a front view of the same, showing the floor leveling device;

FIG. .20 is a detail view of the means employed for erecting the raisedcrane rails.

Withreference to FIGURES l, 2 and 3, the fiat form 4 consists of arectangular iron plate 5 fitted with a frame 6 made of corner irons 7and several vertical U irons for strengthening purposes. Each element isfastened to the adjoining ones by means of slightly tapering pins 6which are hammered into holes drilled at precise intervals in the frames6.

The forms 4 are erected parallel to each other with the smooth surfacesfacing, the distance between them being the thickness of the wall to bepoured. In the space thus formed are installed several core boxes '8(FIGS. 4 and 8), aligned and spaced at regular intervals.

The core boxes are hollow prismatic bodies, preferably of squaresection, perfectly smooth on the outside. Their upper face is fittedwith a clip 11 to which is fastened by bolts .12 a square bar .1-3 (FIG.8) which serves as an aligning element and supports the vibrators, whichare not shown in the figure. To prevent the core box walls from bulginginwards as a result of the weight of the poured and vibrated concrete,provision is made to pressurize the core box by forcing air into itthrough valve 15. To expedite the setting of the concrete, provision ismade for an electric plug feeding current to a heating resistance 14- oran infrared lamp.

To pull the core boxes 8 out of the walls after the concrete has set,the extractors shown in FIG. 9 are used. The extractors consist of asteel frame 8 1 on which is mounted a double bracket 82, in the centerof which is threaded a screw 84, ending at the lower part with a head 85which engages a slot in clip 11 fastened to core box 8. A hand bar '86is used to turn screw 84, so as to force the core box out of theconcrete mass. Once extracted from the concrete, the core box can beremoved using a hoist or any other suitable means.

The correct positioning of the core box is ensured as follows: Thehorizontal lower face of the form 4 rests upon the U irons 16 (FIG. 6),which are fitted at regular intervals with holes coinciding with thecenterline of each core box 8. Each core box carries, welded to thebase, two forks 1 818 positioned symmetrically.

Through the holes inU irons 1 6 are threaded (-FIG. 6) pipes 20 fittedwith a lug 21. These pipes are installed by turning them till lug 21engages a projection 22 welded to the U iron side. Thereupon a round bar23 is inserted into the two aligned pipes 20, and the said round bar isengaged by the two forks 18 of the core box 8, which is made to assumeits correct position, both because the axis of rod 23 coincides with thecenter plane of the core box, and because the section of pipe 20'projecting on either end inside the space between forms maintains thcore box properly centered.

To prevent the wall from bulging outwards spacer pipes 9 are installedin suitable numbers between the facing walls of forms (FIG. 5), suchspacer pipes being fastened by means of threaded iron bushings passingthrough facing andaligned holes in the wall form 5 and corner iron 6.

FIG. 10 shows the framework intended both to support the floor structureand to maintain in proper position the system of wall forms 4. Theelements of this framework are vertical pipes 26- and horizontal pipes27 and 28, all of the same diameter. The pipes are tangent to each otherat the points of crossing (FIG. 7), where each pipe is drilled throughits diameter: the horizontal pipes only being provided with milledrecesses 27' 28 which ensure better contact at the point of tangence, atthe same time locating the aligned diametral holes, through which passbolts 29, fitted at one end with key 29' and to the other with athreaded nut.

The end of the horizontal pipes-27 or 28 facing the wall forms isfastened thereto in the manner shown in FIG. 11. The end of the pipe 28rests against the corner iron 6 of wall form, while to the corner iron 6butted against the former and. belonging to the form next below iswelded a corner bracket 30 which, by means of a bolt 30 passing throughthe diameter of pipe 28, suitably fastens the latter to the wall form. I

The tubular columns 26 rest upon plates laid on the fioor below andsupport at the upper end U irons 36, which in turn support a surfaceformed by plates 32 reinforced attheir edges by corner irons 32. Theupper face of surface 3-2 provides the horizontal surface for pouringthe floor, and the said vertical columns 26 include verticallyadjustable screw sleeves or other means 3 4 to level the floor surface,the screw sleeves acting to support the after described turn buttons 39as shown in FIGURE 17.

Plates 32 are supported by irons 36 in the following manner: at regularintervals along these irons there are welded plates 37 (FIG. 17), towhich are pivoted by screws 38 elongated turn-buttons 39 which, whenpositioned-with the greater length perpendicular to the axis of theirons 32', provide for the latter a support which maintains the levelsurface 312 at the same height as irons 36. By turning turn-buttons 39by 90, the edges of corner irons 32 are released, and with them plates32, which can thus be removed after the floor has set.

When surface 32 has been prepared for the pouring of the floor, thefollowing operations are carried out: a slab of concrete 4-0 (-FIG. 12)is poured, limited to the longitudinal area underlying the floor forms,which will be described'below, no concrete being poured opposite thelower flange of the beams 41 (FIG. 14). In this layer of concrete areembeddediron rods 42 which constitute the reinforcing of the floor, thenthe floor chamber forms are laid in alignment. These forms (FIGS. 12 and14) comprise a bottom in two sections 43 facing each other with twoedges obtained by bending the metal plate to a right angle.

The two bottom sections 43 are fitted at the ends with hinges 47 and 47'on which are mounted the shaped top sections 48, which fit over eachother at the centerline by two anglebent edges 48' and '48" (FIG. 12).

When the forms are laid in position, longitudinally aligned in such amanner that between two adjoining rows of forms beams '41 reinforcedwith rods 49, when the concrete is poured, are formed in the known mamner, each form is fastened and stiifened internally by means of twoprops 51 (FIGS. l2, l3 and 15) swinging around pivot 52 fastenedto theend of a bracket 5-3 welded inside the form. At the base of bracket 53 aspring-loaded plunger 54 fits into a recess in collapsible prop 511 andretains it in vertical position. The plunger arrangement, however, is sodesigned that by pulling a rope the prop can be made to swing down. Tothis end, the ends of props 51 are shaped to forks 51, in which passesthe rope used, after the concrete has been poured and has set, tocollapse the form and withdraw it, in the following sequence:

Rope 56 is fastened by a hook 57 to an eye 57' welded to the inner wallof the form, then (FIGS. 12, 13, 14 and 16) is passed through a sheave58 fastened to the form bottom 43 and then through holes in the angleflanges 43'. Thenthe rope is passed through the righthand fork 51, thenthrough the left-hand fork (FIG. 13), from which it angles back and itsfree end C is led outside ie to a position accessible to the operator,at the edge of the floor if permitted by the shape of the string course,or through one of the openings 59 (FIG. 10) which for this purpose areprovided temporarily in the floor.

When end C of the rope is pulled in the direction shown by theyarrow inFIGS. 12 and 16, prop 51 swings downwards, allowing the rope todisengage fron'rfork 51. Keeping up the pull on the rope, the samehappens with the second prop, that shown on the right in FIG. 13. As thelatter col-lapses the rope, remaining engaged by the holes in flanges43, will be tensioned between the righthand flange and sheave 58. Underthese conditions, the rope will exert a downward pull on hook 57 (FIG.14) and the right-hand half form will rotate around the hinge 47,pushing down on angle 48", thus forcing the left-hand half form toperform an identical rotation around the left-hand hinge 47. At thispoint the floor form will be completely released, and can be withdrawn.The advantages of the type of floor structure described above lie aboveall in the elimination of tiles and of the plaster coat used to protectthe latter, thus resulting in a considerable reduction in cost, weightand labor required for construction.

FIGURES 18 and 19 represent, respectively in longitudinal and frontviews, the bridge crane used for the loading and distribution of thematerial. The crane bridge is supported by a suitable number oftrapezoidal frames 61 which rest on a plurality of wheels 62 running onrails 63 laid parallel to one side of the building. Frames 61 form abridge-like structure which supports a pair of parallel rails 64,installed to slope slightly from a higher point underneath the liftingtackle 66 at the end of the girder 65 down to the other end of thebridge crane 61, which will be long enough to span the whole length ofthe building.

By means of rope 67 and winch 68 a skip 69 is raised from the groundfloor, such skip being fitted at the lower end with a spout 71 which can'be opened and closed by means of lever 72. This skip, by means of achute 73 pivoted around a shaft 74 fastened to girder 65 and attachableto the skip when the latter reaches the top of its vertical travel,discharges its load into a transport bucket 75, which moves on rollers76 along the slightly sloping rails and can easily be stopped todischarge its load on the floor at any point thereof because the bridgecrane can move along rails 63 across the full width of the building,while bucket 75 can be moved across the whole length of the bridgecrane.

In order to enable the concrete to be poured for the entire thickness ofthe floor, rails 63 will have to be installed at a certain distanceabove the surface of the forms 32. This is achieved, as clearly shown inFIG. 20, by means of stanchions 77 on which the rails are mounted. Thesestanchions are screwed, by their lower threaded ends, into nuts 78welded at equal intervals between the flanges of U irons 36 and arefitted at the upper end with a disc 77', upon which the rails areattached by means of clamps 79. After the concrete has set, parts 63, 77and 79 are withdrawn from above the floor, while nuts 78 welded to irons36 are withdrawn from below together with the latter.

FIG. 19 represents a leveling device, mounted below frames 61 whichsupport the bridge crane. The device consists of a shaft 87 rotatable bymeans of a handwhee-l 88, which drives into rotation a flat blade 89attached at the lower end of the said shaft. Blade 89' is long enough tosmooth the floor area underlying a pair of frames 61 comprised betweenbridge crane wheels 62.

It is understood that the construction described above shall be subjectto such adaptations as may be from case to case required by constructionrequirements. Thus, for instance, if two outside walls do not form aright angle, hinged forms may be provided, making it possible to setwall forms at the desired dihedral angle.

What I claim is:

1. Equipment for constructing buildings of concrete and the like,comprising, in combination, a plurality of spaced wall forms located insections, each section having two parallel rows of wall forms, each wallform having a fiat metal plate and a plurality of profile ironsenclosing the edges of said plate and constituting a frame, the platesof each section facing each other, whereby concrete may be pouredbetween the plates of each section to provide a concrete Wall; aframework of vertical and horizontal metal pipes engaging the profileirons of some of the wall forms in each section for supporting said wallforms vertically, the vertical pipes tangentially contacting thehorizontal pipes, a separate bolt extending through each vertical pipeand each horizontal pipe at the point of tangential contact of the twolast-mentioned pipes, said horizontal pipes having recesses formed atsaid points of tangential contact and. receiving circumferentialportions of adjacent vertical pipes, plate means supported on the topsof the vertical pipes in said framework, a layer of concrete coveringsaid plate means, transverse spacer bars, means connecting said spacerbars with said wall forms, a plurality of core-box forms, each of saidcore-box forms having a hollow body, forks firmly connected with saidhollow body and extending downwardly therefrom, said forks embracing oneof said spacer bars for supporting said hollow body between the platesof said wall forms, and a clip upon said hollow body; an alinement barconnected to the clips of said core-box forms and engaging said wallforms; and at least one floor form supported on said layer of concrete,said floor form having a sectional bottom and collapsible top sectionshingedly connected with said sectional bottom.

2. Construction equipment in accordance with claim 1, further comprisinghorizontal crane carrying rails, and means connected with said frameworkand supporting said crane carrying rails above said wall forms.

3. A crane for use with the construction equipment of claim 2, saidcrane comprising a plurality of elongated rigidly connected frames,wheels carried by said frames and mounted on the crane carrying rails, awinch carried by said frames, a sloped chute swingably connected withsaid frames, rails carried by said frames and sloping in the directionof one end of said frames, a skip, a rope carrying said skip andextending over said winch and said chute, a bucket movable upon thelast-mentioned rails for receiving concrete from said skip, a rotaryshaft carried by said frames, and a scraper blade carried by said shaftfor levelling the poured concrete.

4. Equipment for constructing buildings of concrete and the like,comprising, in combination, a plurality of spaced wall forms located insections, each section having two parallel rows of wall forms, each wallform having a flat metal plate and a plurality of profile ironsenclosing the edges of said plate and constituting a frame, the platesof each section facing each other, whereby concrete may be pouredbetween the plates of each section to provide a concrete wall; aframework of vertical and horizontal interconnected metal pipes engagingthe profile irons of some of the wall forms in each section forsupporting said wall forms vertically, U-irons, means carried by theupper ends of said ventical pipes and adjustably supporting saidU-irons, plates located between the flanges of said U-irons and firmlyconnected thereto, elongated turn-buttons pivotally connected to thelast-mentioned plates, transverse spacer bars, means connecting saidspacer bars with said wall forms, a plurality of core-box forms, each ofsaid core-box forms having a hollow body, forks firmly connected withsaid hollow body and extending downwardly therefrom, said forksembracing one of said spacer bars for supporting said hollow bodybetween the plates of said wall forms, and a clip upon said hollow body;an alinement bar connected to the clips of said core-box forms andengaging said wall forms, a plurality of alined plates adjustablymounted upon said turn-buttons and constituting a floor surface, a layerof concrete covering said floor surface; and at least one collapsiblefloor form supported on said layer of concrete, said floor form having asectional bottom and collapsible top sections hingedly connected withsaid sectional bottom.

5. Equipment for constructing buildings of concrete and the like,comprising, in combination, a plurality of spaced wall forms located insections, each section having two parallel rows of wall forms, each wallform having a flat metal plate and a plurality of profile ironsenclosing the edges of said plate and constituting a frame, the platesof each section facing each other, whereby concrete may be pouredbetween the plates of each section to provide a concrete wall; aframework of vertical and horizontal interconnected metal pipes engagingthe profile irons of some of the wall forms in each section forsupporting said wall forms vertically, plate means supported on the topsof the vertical pipes in said framework, a layer of concrete coveringsaid plate means, transverse spacer bars, means connecting said spacerbars with said wall forms, a plurality of core-box forms, each of saidcore-box forms having a hollow body, forks firmly connected with saidhollow body and extending downwardly therefrom, said forks embracing oneof said spacer bars for supporting said hollow body between the platesof said wall forms, and a clip upon said hollow body; an alinement barconnected to the clips of said core-box forms and engaging said wallforms; and at least one floor form supported on said layer of concrete,said floor form having two bottom sections arranged in side by siderelation and having opposed upturned edges, two top sections hingedlyconnected to said upturned edges and having in terengaging edges, a pairof pivots connected to one of said bottom sections, a prop mounted atone end on each of said pivots and having a fork at the other end forsupporting said top sections a distance above said bottom sections, asheave connected to the other one of said bottom sections, an eyeconnected to one of said top sections and a rope connected at one end tosaid eye and extending around said sheave and forked ends of said propswhereby a pull on the other end of said rope will cause said topsections to collapse.

(References on following page) References Cited-1n the; file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Witthoefft Mar. 23, 1909 Milankovitch Nov.16, 1909 5 Baron Nov. 16, 1921} Liedler Dec. 27, 1927 Alley May 15, 1928Garrett June 26, 1934 McDowell June 30, 1936 10

1. EQUIPMENT FOR CONSTRUCTING BUILDINGS OF CONCRETE AND THE LIKE,COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PLURALITY OF SPACED WALL FORMS LOCATED INSECTIONS, EACH SECTION HAVING TWO PARALLEL ROWS OF WALL FORMS, EACH WALLFORM HAVING A FLAT METAL PLATE AND A PLURALITY OF PROFILE IRONSENCLOSING THE EDGES OF SAID PLATE AND CONSTITUTING A FRAME, THE PLATESOF EACH SECTION FACING EACH OTHER, WHEREBY CONCRETE MAY BE POUREDBETWEEN THE PLATES OF EACH SECTION TO PROVIDE A CONCRETE WALL; AFRAMEWORK OF VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL METAL PIPES ENGAGING THE PROFILEIRONS OF SOME OF THE WALL FORMS IN EACH SECTION FOR SUPPORTING SAID WALLFORMS VERTICALLY, THE VERTICAL PIPES TANGENTIALLY CONTACTING THEHORIZONTAL PIPES, A SEPARATE BOLT EXTENDING THROUGH EACH VERTICAL PIPEAND EACH HORIZONTAL PIPE AT THE POINT OF TANGENTIAL CONTACT OF THE TWOLAST-MENTIONED PIPES, SAID HORIZONTAL PIPES HAVING RECESSES FORMED ATSAID POINTS OF TANGENTIAL CONTACT AND RECEIVING CIRCUMFERENTIAL PORTIONSOF ADJACENT VERTICAL PIPES, PLATE MEANS SUPPORTED ON THE TOPS OF THEVERTICAL PIPES IN SAID FRAMEWORK, A LAYER OF CONCRETE COVERING SAIDPLATE MEANS, TRANVERSE SPACER BARS, MEANS CONNECTING SAID SPACER BARSWITH SAID WALL FORMS, A PLURALITY OF CORE-BOX FORMS, EACH OF SAIDCORE-BOX FORMS, HAVING A HOLLOW BODY, FORKS FIRMLY CONNECTED WITH SAIDHOLLOW BODY AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID FORKS EMBRACING ONEOF SAID SPACER BARS FOR SUPPORTING